It tends to be a much larger redemption compared to gift cards and merchandise rewards -- especially when it involves points-transfers to the frequent travel programs at participating airlines and partnered hotel chains.
Instead, it would be smarter to purchase Membership Rewards at the lower rate of $25 per 1,000 points and transfer them over to the SkyMiles program (Membership Rewards points transfer to the SkyMiles program at a rate of 1,000 miles per 1,000 miles.)
Additionally, Membership Rewards Points work with most domestic and international airlines, and if you do happen to use an airline they do not work with, American Express will figure out a solution to help you redeem your points for the airline of your choice.
It's important to note that American Express charges your card for the purchase of your trip, and then reimburses you for the cost. So your linked card will be charged for your purchase, then American Express will deduct the points from your account balance, and then finally will issue you a statement credit to your account.
Today I was reading through the updated Membership Rewards terms and conditions that came with my Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express to see if anything new caught my eye and thought it would be good to do a refresher post on how you can actually buy Membership Rewards points and if it's really worth it at 2.5 cents per point.
If you don't have enough points in your account for a redemption, American Express gives you the option to buy a certain amount of points in 1,000-point increments depending on the credit card you have linked to your account. Some cards will allow you to buy up to 100,000 points per calendar year, while you can buy up to 500,000 points per year with other cards. If you have a card from each category linked to your account, both cards will be eligible to buy up to 500,000 points total - you get the greater benefit of your cards. Each Membership Rewards account can only purchase up to 500,000 points, so even if you have two cards in the 500,000-point category and they're linked to the same MR account, your limit is still 500,000 points.
Since points advance is no longer available, buying points may be a good idea if you're falling short for a great redemption. I wouldn't speculatively go buying Membership Rewards points, but if you need a few thousand extra to top up your account for a specific, imminent redemption, they could be worth it. Or if you were going to do something like buy Delta or Flying Blue miles or British Airways Avios, it might make sense to buy Amex points instead and then transfer to the airline partner. Especially if there is a transfer bonus going on that would bring your per-mile cost even lower.
It's possible to buy AMEX Membership Rewards points, in conjunction with a points transfer. This post will discuss how to buy Membership Rewards points, how much it costs, whom you can transfer points to, and when it's likely to be worth it.
To buy Membership Rewards points, you have to have at least 1 AMEX card linked to the Membership Rewards program, such as an AMEX Platinum, AMEX Business Platinum, AMEX Premier Rewards Gold, AMEX Business Gold, AMEX EveryDay card, etc.
No, the only time you can buy AMEX Membership Rewards points is in conjunction with a transfer to a partner, when you otherwise don't have enough points for the transfer. You can't buy points prospectively and just have them sit in your account.
You can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points to your own frequent flyer accounts as well as to an authorized user's frequent flyer accounts. If your spouse or partner is not an authorized user, however, you wouldn't be able to link his/her frequent flyer accounts to your Membership Rewards account or transfer points to him/her.
The key time you'd want to buy points is if you don't have enough to transfer to an airline partner to redeem for a first class or business class award, but have already found the award availability (or have had TravelSort Award Booking or another award booking service find the availability for you).
Say, for example, you want a Cathay Pacific First Class ticket from Hong Kong to New York JFK next year on March 27. Currently a one way is pricing at $17,777, but Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has award availability for 130,000 miles. That's 13 cents per mile, so even if you don't have 130,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points, if you value flying Cathay Pacific First Class on that date, it can easily make sense to buy the rest of the Membership Rewards points you need and transfer points to Asia Miles.
American Express rewards are one of the most popular programs we buy. We buy all quantities of Amex membership rewards points and provide competitive prices for them. Starting at 40,000 points minimum, we prefer to buy Amex points in 80K and 95K increments and offer high rates for accounts containing multiples of 80k, 95k, 160k, 190k, etc. If you have some Amex points lying around and are looking to make some extra cash, sell your Amex points with MilesBuyer to avail the best value. Call us to sell your extra unused Amex points for cash today!
American Express, one of the most coveted credit card providers, offers top rewards programs with a variety of options to earn and redeem points. Amex has a wide selection of credit cards; most offer signup bonuses, many have no annual fee, and some include cash back and travel rewards.
With the Amex cashback option, you earn 0.6 cents for every Amex point. However, selling your American Express points with a reputed broker like MilesBuyer can fetch you a much higher value for each point. This value depends on several factors like market demand, the number of Amex points you want to sell, etc. Since Amex has a lenient expiration policy, we recommend you to bulk up your Amex points before selling them because points sold in bulk have high returns.
The worth of Amex points is based on how you want to redeem them. There are tons of redeeming options for Amex points with varying values. The best deal you can get out of your Amex points save from selling them is by transferring them to airline or hotel loyalty programs. Depending on the loyalty program, this option gives you a return of 2.2 cents per point on average. Redeeming points on Amex travel portal yields 1 cent per point. Booking flights through this portal is easy and saves time. Apart from this, your Amex points can be worth between 0.5 and 1.10 cents if you redeem them for gift cards in categories like flight, hotel, car rental, dining, retail, etc.
These are all great ways to use Amex points but it may not always be lucrative given the reduced cash value you get in these transactions. Selling Amex reward points is more profitable due to the high return value.
To earn Amex points, you need any one of the American Express cards. When you sign up for Amex membership, you earn a good amount of introductory bonus points. Once you are a member, you can earn referral bonus points by referring your friends and family. Apart from these, you earn reward points every time you transact using your American Express cards like booking flights, buying at supermarkets, dining out, buying gas, gift cards, etc. If you use your Amex card often, you also gain frequent transaction bonus with Amex.
It is not illegal to sell your Amex reward points to a miles broker. Many members sell Amex points due to the non-availability of reward seats. However, it is frowned upon by the company to sell your points but no legal action is taken against such members. We recommend you to be cautious about the process of selling Amex points.
You can safely sell your Amex reward points through MilesBuyer. We provide you a highly secure transaction process with a reliable SSL throughout to keep your personal data secure while you do business with us. We take data security very seriously and never share your details with any third party.
MilesBuyer provides highly competitive rates for your Amex credit card points depending on the number of points you have. It is always a good idea to make some money out of your Amex reward points instead of letting them go to waste. Send us your quote and we will take it from there.
It is important to sell your Amex rewards points with a trusted miles broker for data privacy. We, at MilesBuyer, never compromise on customer data and maintain high levels of security by having multiple encryptions in place. Selling your Amex points with us will guarantee your peace of mind while you make some extra, well-deserved cash. Give us a call at 1-800-511-0315 and we would be happy to guide you.
You can sell your Amex rewards points at MilesBuyer to avail of highly competitive prices for your unused points. We make selling your points easy and straightforward. All you need to do is send us your quote by filling up the contact form at the top of the page or give us a call at 1-800-511-0315. Once we agree on a fair quote, we will transfer the cash to you instantly before you send the points to us. Learn more about selling airline miles and points here.
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